Tiny sensor adds breathalyser functionality to smartphones

[HEXUS]

UK designed 1mm sq sensor can also detect carbon monoxide, formaldehyde and more.

Read more.

[scaryjim]

So, which comes first, the road traffic incident caused by a driver whose incorrectly configured app convinced him he was safe to drive despite being drunk, or the death through alcohol poisoning of the teen/youth/student trying to get the local "record" for bac?

A little cynical perhaps - I can see a multitude of really good uses for these, but ubiquitous gaseous sensors just sound like a world of trouble waiting to happen to me....

[big_hairy_rob]

Cynicism aside, I know plenty of people who could use this feature to disable messaging or social media while intoxicated. Even as a rough guide, this could help prevent a number of social faux pas, however I agree with Scaryjim over it's likely practical use.

[shaithis]

To be fair, people have been buying and using breathalysers for a while, this is just an extension of that.

And I can't see it long before we start hearing about a phased approach to humans being prevented from driving vehicles anyway

[Tabbykatze]

Cynicism aside, I know plenty of people who could use this feature to disable messaging or social media while intoxicated. Even as a rough guide, this could help prevent a number of social faux pas, however I agree with Scaryjim over it's likely practical use.

That sounds like a perfect application for 59p, I think they had a similar idea in the film Google with Vince Vaughn and the other one xD

[Biscuit]

I dont know about everyone else, but in general if I have anything more than perhaps a shandy, I just do not drive at all for at least 4-5 hours so that I can be sure its pretty much completely out of my system. The morning after a heavy night is always the one that is a bit of an unknown, but again I tend to just not drive if Im not sure. I suppose something like this would take the guess work out of it.

[scaryjim]

The usual rule of thumb is that it takes one hour to process one unit of alcohol. If you don't know how many units you've drunk you probably shouldn't be driving home any time soon

[big_hairy_rob]

That sounds like a perfect application for 59p, I think they had a similar idea in the film Google with Vince Vaughn and the other one xD

I think it was called the Intern, however I haven't seen it & know nothing about the ideas in it! Just a weird coincidence based on experience & observation...
The walk of shame has become the tweet/text of shame!

The usual rule of thumb is that it takes one hour to process one unit of alcohol. If you don't know how many units you've drunk you probably shouldn't be driving home any time soon

I've always wanted to know where this comes from, and there are other factors that actually affect the speed of alcohol processing, including whether you've recently eaten, along with your metabolism, size & liver function. While many (including myself) use it as a rule, it's actually pretty hard to calculate just how many units you've consumed, especially with the rise of craft beers which are sold at radically varying strengths & sizes.

[sykobee]

I dont know about everyone else, but in general if I have anything more than perhaps a shandy, I just do not drive at all for at least 4-5 hours so that I can be sure its pretty much completely out of my system. The morning after a heavy night is always the one that is a bit of an unknown, but again I tend to just not drive if Im not sure. I suppose something like this would take the guess work out of it.

Your body will process alcohol at a rate of about 1 unit per hour. So a shandy, which is about 1 unit, will be completely gone after an hour, although maybe there's a tail off period that applies when there's very little alcohol remaining to get rid off.

Now 4-5 hours is a good time to leave if you've had a couple of pints of strong IPA!

And overnight, say 12 hours, will only clear 4-5 pints completely, so definitely don't drive if you have had more the night before. Or stick to lower strength session beers (under 4%).

Which is why I live in a city where I catch a train to get to work, instead of driving.

[Lanky123]

The usual rule of thumb is that it takes one hour to process one unit of alcohol. If you don't know how many units you've drunk you probably shouldn't be driving home any time soon

I've always wanted to know where this comes from, and there are other factors that actually affect the speed of alcohol processing, including whether you've recently eaten, along with your metabolism, size & liver function.

I'm sure there are other factors but I don't think it would be helpful for the official advice to muddy the waters and allow people to delude themselves. I wouldn't want to imagine a police officer's response to hearing some cretin come out with "it's OK, I have a fast metabolism" at the side of the road...

So long as it's clear what the accuracy level is I think this can only be a good thing overall - people learning how their own body responds is much better than a catch-all estimate.

[Biscuit]

Your body will process alcohol at a rate of about 1 unit per hour. So a shandy, which is about 1 unit, will be completely gone after an hour, although maybe there's a tail off period that applies when there's very little alcohol remaining to get rid off.

Now 4-5 hours is a good time to leave if you've had a couple of pints of strong IPA!

And overnight, say 12 hours, will only clear 4-5 pints completely, so definitely don't drive if you have had more the night before. Or stick to lower strength session beers (under 4%).

Which is why I live in a city where I catch a train to get to work, instead of driving.

Im aware of the average rates that your body can cleanse it out of your system, but I still dont see the point in risking it. If I have had over two pints of beer I don't drive till the next day AT ALL. Two pints would be the maximum I would drink then consider driving in the same day, and even then there would have to be a very good reason for it.

If you know you have to get in the car, just don't drink and don't take any risks, I really dont understand people who drive places drink then drive home, even if reasonable time has passed.

[badass]

To be fair, people have been buying and using breathalysers for a while, this is just an extension of that.

And I can't see it long before we start hearing about a phased approach to humans being prevented from driving vehicles anyway

Most - i.e. 95% of humans shouldn't be allowed to drive any way.

[Spreadie]

Yay, another gadget that will result in morons abdicating responsibility.

If you need to drive later, lay off the booze - occasional abstinance isn't the end of the world. If your mates are frowning on you for being on soft drinks, they are the problem, not you.

[3dcandy]

What a cynical bunch you are. Much easier is a simple carbon monoxide alarm to alert you of dangerous levels - or just dangerous levels of anything conisdered harmful to health!!!

[peterb]

Just to pe pedantic, carbon monoxide is not a volatile organic compound, so I went back to the original press release by CMOS sensors.

The actual release reads

CCS811 can be used for detecting Ethanol (Alcohol) and hazardous gases such as Carbon Monoxide (CO) and a wide range of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), based on its Micro-hotplate technology. This unique technology significantly reduces power consumption through very fast cycle and measurement times.

It seems that electronic times missed the word 'and' out, so it can be used as a CO sensor as well as VOCs.

</pedant mode>

[DanceswithUnix]

So this potentially gives Google access to my drinking history? I can just see the Google Now card popping up, "It is Friday Lunch time, the nearest pub for your regular tipple is the Chilly Penguin, you need to leave now to get there for 12:00 as their bar is slightly congested and their current residents haven't had much to drink yet and will want to get another order in".